lecture20-第3节

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convinced　out　of　his　own　experience；　especially　if　he　had　much



work　to　carry　on　in　the　street　or　in　the　fields。　。　。　。　From　the



sun　we　learn　to　recognize　when　it　is　midday；　and　by　knowing　this



point　of　time　exactly；　we　can　set　our　clocks　right；　on　which



account　astronomy　owes　much　to　the　sun。　。　。　。　By　help　of　the　sun



one　can　find　the　meridian。　。　。　。　But　the　meridian　is　the　basis



of　our　sun…dials；　and　generally　speaking；　we　should　have　no



sun…dials　if　we　had　no　sun。〃　Vernunftige　Gedanken　von　den



Absichter　der　naturlichen　Dinge；　1782。　pp。74…84。







Or　read　the　account　of　God's　beneficence　in　the　institution　of



〃the　great　variety　throughout　the　world　of　men's　faces；　voices；



and　hand…writing；〃　given　in　Derham's　Physico…theology；　a　book



that　had　much　vogue　in　the　eighteenth　century。　　〃Had　Man's　body；〃



says　Dr。　Derham；　〃been　made　according　to　any　of　the　Atheistical



Schemes；　or　any　other　Method　than　that　of　the　infinite　Lord　of



the　World；　this　wise　Variety　would　never　have　been：　　but　Men's



Faces　would　have　been　cast　in　the　same；　or　not　a　very　different



Mould；　their　Organs　of　Speech　would　have　sounded　the　same　or　not



so　great　a　Variety　of　Notes；　and　the　same　Structure　of　Muscles



and　Nerves　would　have　given　the　Hand　the　same　Direction　in



Writing。　　And　in　this　Case　what　Confusion；　what　Disturbance；　what



Mischiefs　would　the　world　eternally　have　lain　under！　　No　Security



could　have　been　to　our　persons；　no　Certainty；　no　Enjoyment　of　our



Possessions；　no　Justice　between　Man　and　Man；　no　Distinction



between　Good　and　Bad；　between　Friends　and　Foes；　between　Father



and　Child；　Husband　and　Wife；　Male　or　Female；　but　all　would　have



been　turned　topsy…turvy；　by　being　exposed　to　the　Malice　of　the



Envious　and　ill…Natured；　to　the　Fraud　and　Violence　of　Knaves　and



Robbers；　to　the　Forgeries　of　the　crafty　Cheat；　to　the　Lusts　of



the　Effeminate　and　Debauched；　and　what　not！　　Our　Courts　of



Justice　can　abundantly　testify　the　dire　Effects　of　Mistaking



Men's　Faces；　of　counterfeiting　their　Hands；　and　forging　Writings。







But　now　as　the　infinitely　wise　Creator　and　Ruler　hath　ordered　the



Matter；　every　man's　Face　can　distinguish　him　in　the　Light；　and



his　Voice　in　the　Dark；　his　Hand…writing　can　speak　for　him　though



absent；　and　be　his　Witness；　and　secure　his　Contracts　in　future



Generations。　　A　manifest　as　well　as　admirable　Indication　of　the



divine　Superintendence　and　Management。〃







A　God　so　careful　as　to　make　provision　even　for　the　unmistakable



signing　of　bank　checks　and　deeds　was　a　deity　truly　after　the



heart　of　eighteenth　century　Anglicanism。







I　subjoin；　omitting　the　capitals；　Derham's　〃Vindication　of　God　by



the　Institution　of　Hills　and　Valleys；〃　and　Wolff's　altogether



culinary　account　of　the　institution　of　Water：







〃The　uses；〃　says　Wolff；　〃which　water　serves　in　human　life　are



plain　to　see　and　need　not　be　described　at　length。　　Water　is　a



universal　drink　of　man　and　beasts。　　Even　though　men　have　made



themselves　drinks　that　are　artificial；　they　could　not　do　this



without　water。　　Beer　is　brewed　of　water　and　malt；　and　it　is　the



water　in　it　which　quenches　thirst。　　Wine　is　prepared　from　grapes；



which　could　never　have　grown　without　the　help　of　water；　and　the



same　is　true　of　those　drinks　which　in　England　and　other　places



they　produce　from　fruit。　。　。　。　Therefore　since　God　so　planned　the



world　that　men　and　beasts　should　live　upon　it　and　find　there



everything　required　for　their　necessity　and　convenience；　he　also



made　water　as　one　means　whereby　to　make　the　earth　into　so



excellent　a　dwelling。　　And　this　is　all　the　more　manifest　when　we



consider　the　advantages　which　we　obtain　from　this　same　water　for



the　cleaning　of　our　household　utensils；　of　our　clothing；　and　of



other　matters。　。　。　。　When　one　goes　into　a　grinding…mill　one　sees



that　the　grindstone　must　always　be　kept　wet　and　then　one　will　get



a　still　greater　idea　of　the　use　of　water。〃







Of　the　hills　and　valleys；　Derham；　after　praising　their　beauty；



discourses　as　follows：　　〃Some　constitutions　are　indeed　of　so



happy　a　strength；　and　so　confirmed　an　health；　as　to　be



indifferent　to　almost　any　place　or　temperature　of　the　air。　　But



then　others　are　so　weakly　and　feeble；　as　not　to　be　able　to　bear



one；　but　can　live　comfortably　in　another　place。　　With　some　the



more　subtle　and　finer　air　of　the　hills　doth　best　agree；　who　are



languishing　and　dying　in　the　feculent　and　grosser　air　of　great



towns；　or　even　the　warmer　and　vaporous　air　of　the　valleys　and



waters。　　But　contrariwise；　others　languish　on　the　hills；　and　grow



lusty　and　strong　in　the　warmer　air　of　the　valleys。







〃So　that　this　opportunity　of　shifting　our　abode　from　the　hills　to



the　vales；　is　an　admirable　easement；　refreshment；　and　great



benefit　to　the　valetudinarian；　feeble　part　of　mankind；　affording



those　an　easy　and　comfortable　life；　who　would　otherwise　live



miserably；　languish；　and　pine　away。







〃To　this　salutary　conformation　of　the　earth　we　may　add　another



great　convenience　of　the　hills；　and　that　is　affording　commodious



places　for　habitation；　serving　（as　an　eminent　author　wordeth　it）



as　screens　to　keep　off　the　cold　and　nipping　blasts　of　the



northern　and　easterly　winds；　and　reflecting　the　benign　and



cherishing　sunbeams　and　so　rendering　our　habitations　both　more



comfortable　and　more　cheerly　in　winter。







〃Lastly；　it　is　to　the　hills　that　the　fountains　owe　their　rise　and



the　rivers　their　conveyance；　and　consequently　those　vast　masses



and　lofty　piles　are　not；　as　they　are　charged　such　rude　and



useless　excrescences　of　our　ill…formed　globe；　but　the　admirable



tools　of　nature；　contrived　and　ordered　by　the　infinite　Creator；



to　do　one　of　its　most　useful　works。　　For；　was　the　surface　of　the



earth　even　and　level；　and　the　middle　parts　of　its　islands　and



continents　not　mountainous　and　high　as　now　it　is；　it　is　most



certain　there　could　be　no　descent　for　the　rivers；　no　conveyance



for　the　waters；　but；　instead　of　gliding　along　those　gentle



declivities　which　the　higher　lands　now　afford　them　quite　down　to



the　sea；　they　would　stagnate　and　perhaps　stink；　and　also　drown



large　tracts　of　land。







〃＇Thus＇　the　hills　and　vales；　though　to　a　peevish　and　weary



traveler　they　may　seem　incommodious　and　troublesome；　yet　are　a



noble　work　of　the　great　Creator；　and　wisely　appointed　by　him　for



the　good　of　our　sublunary　world。〃　　



















You　see　how　natural　it　is；　from　this　point　of　view；　to　treat



religion　as　a　mere　survival；　for　religion　does　in　fact　perpetuate



the　traditions　of　the　most　primeval　thought。　　To　coerce　the



spiritual　powers；　or　to　square　them　and　get　them　on　our　side；



was；　during　enormous　tracts　of　time；　the　one　great　object　in　our



dealings　with　the　natural　world。　　For　our　ancestors；　dreams；



hallucinations；　revelations；　and　cock…and…bull　stories　were



inextricably　mixed　with　facts。　　Up　to　a　comparatively　recent　date



such　distinctions　as　those　between　what　has　been　verified　and



what　is　only　conjectured；　between　the　impersonal　and　the　personal



aspects　of　existence；　were　hardly　suspected　or　conceived。　



Whatever　you　imagined　in　a　lively　manner；　whatever　you　thought



fit　to　be　true；　you　affirmed　confidently；　and　whatever　you



affirmed；　your　comrades　believed。　　Truth　was　what　had　not　yet



been　contradicted；　most　things　were　taken　into　the　mind　from　the



point　of　view　of　their　human　suggestiveness；　and　the　attention



confined　itself　exclusively　to　the　aesthetic　and　dramatic　aspects



of　events。＇335＇







＇335＇　Until　the　seventeenth　century　this　mode　of　thought



prevailed。　One　need　only　recall　the　dramatic　treatment　even　of



mechanical　questions　by　Aristotle；　as；　for　example；　his



explanation　of　the　power　of　the　lever　to　make　a　small　weight



raise　a　larger　one。　　This　is　due；　according　to　Aristotle；　to　the



generally　miraculous　character　of　the　circle　and　of　all　circular



movement。　　The　circle　is　both　convex　and　concave；　it　is　made　by　a



fixed　point　and　a　moving　line；　which　contradict　each　other；　and



whatever　moves　in　a　circle　moves　in　opposite　directions。　



Nevertheless；　movement　in　a　circle　is　the　most　〃natural〃



movement；　and　the　long　arm　of　the　lever；　moving；　as　it　does；　in



the　larger　circle；　has　the　greater　amount　of　this　natural　motion；



and　consequently　requires　the　lesser　force。　　Or　recall　the



explanation　by　Herodotus　of　the　position　of　the　sun　in　winter：　



It　moves　to　the　south　because　of　the　cold　which　drives　it　into



the　warm　parts　of　the　heave